Hyderabad NGO Supplies Free Oxygen in Tribal Thandas

HYDERABAD: Covid-19 and the resulting restrictions on people's movement have wreaked havoc on tribal Tandas, which are mostly inaccessible. Tribals suffer greatly as a result of the pandemic virus because there are no large hospitals nearby.

The Social Data Initiatives Forum (SDIF), a Hyderabad-based NGO, has taken on the mission of distributing oxygen cylinders, as well as other emergency health care materials and medications, to individuals living in Telangana's remote tribal habitations.

SDIF has developed a technique that allows it to locate Covid-19 patients in need of oxygen in tribal habitations and provide them with free oxygen cylinders. The SDIF's algorithm works with the Twitter API (application programming interface) to identify tweets that contain oxygen demands.

SDIF founders Azam Khan and Khalid Saifullah said, "The back-end team immediately calls those in need and arranges for oxygen."

Thousands of Covid-19 patients have benefited from the initiative, particularly in rural and tribal communities. "We tried to connect remote villages with technology and provided oxygen cylinders at their doorstep. We are assisting needy people all over India. We’ve already setup oxygen banks in Hyderabad, Vikarabad, Kadapa, Guntur and Narayanpet. In other locations, we have identified NGOs providing oxygen. This network of NGOs is helping all, including people living in far-away tribal habitations," Khan told a major news organization.

The oxygen cylinder does not need a deposit, and transportation and refilling are free for white card users.